India to begin campaign against South Africa at U19 Women’s T20 World Cup

New Delhi: Fixtures for the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup to be held in South Africa were announced on Friday.

The tournament will take place from January 14 to 29, 2023 in South Africa. Placed in Group D India will take on Scotland, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the group stage.

India will face South Africa in their opening match of the tournament on January 14. The Women in Blue will next lock horns with UAE on January 16 and Scotland on January 18.

The historical event will showcase the future stars of the game with 16 teams travelling to South Africa to compete in 41 matches from January 14 to 29, 2023 in Benoni and Potchefstroom.

The 16 participating teams which include the very best U19 female players in the world comprise 11 Full ICC Members and five Associates. The top three teams from each group will progress to the Super Six League stage, where teams from Group A will play against Group D and Group B will compete against Group C.

Indonesia and Rwanda are the two first-time participants in an ICC World Cup event. While Indonesia beat Papua New Guinea to win the East Asia-Pacific group in July, Rwanda became the final team to qualify for the event after beating Tanzania on September 12.

Four matches will take place each day with Australia playing Bangladesh on an opening day, followed by South Africa taking on India at the Main Oval in Willowmoore Park in Benoni while UAE will go up against Scotland, followed by Sri Lanka v USA at the B Oval.

The semi-finals will be played on January 27, at JB Marks Oval in Potchefstroom, with the final taking place at the same location on January 29.

“The ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup is the ultimate finishing school for future female stars of our game and to have 16 teams heading to South Africa for the inaugural event is incredibly exciting for the development of women’s cricket which is a strategic priority for the ICC,” ICC Head of Events, Chris Tetley said in an official statement released by ICC.
“We are looking forward to seeing the kind of success stories emerge from this event that we have enjoyed in the Men’s U19s over the years and it’s fantastic to welcome ICC event debutants Indonesia and Rwanda to the world stage,” Tetley added.

“We are delighted that South Africa will be hosting this event as well as the senior ICC Women’s T20 World Cup shortly thereafter and we wish all the teams the very best in their preparations for the tournament and to Cricket South Africa in organising the event,” he said.

Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO, Pholetsi Moseki said: “CSA is thrilled to be hosting two very exciting ICC women’s events in the coming months, but for us as an organisation, the inaugural ICC U19 Women’s T20 World Cup holds a special place in our hearts. As a nation, we hold women and the significant and vital roles that they play in our society in high esteem, and to that end, we are incredibly proud to be hosting the very first global T20 event of its kind for young women of this age group.”

“This falls in line with CSA’s vision to make cricket a truly national sport of winners and accessible to all, not just in South Africa and Africa, but around the world. The fixtures and matchups are going to make for exciting viewing, and we look forward to record-breaking and life-changing results,” Moseki said.